Monday, August 06, 2007

Sometime back I had to go to the city every day during the work week. Now unlike Bee and like Nabeela, I am not a city girl. Though we live a commutable distance away we hardly drop in to be a part of the city crowd. We are happy with our quiet green neighborhood and the proximity to the “Big Apple” has not rubbed the city life on us.

However I do not grudge the rare trips I need to make. I like to wait for the bus on a crisp morning and also love the fact that I can get an hour & half sleep while in it. I think I sleep a pretty deep sleep on the bus with my mouth open and even softly snoring. It leaves me pretty refreshed, and I don’t think anyone minds because most of the bus is doing the same.

Ok but this not about my sleeping habits so let’s not digress. The one thing I like about these early morning occasional ventures is the stores in the city. No, I am not talking of Saks 5th Avenue. I am talking of the small ineffable stores wedged between the tall structures, keeping a brave front, trying to hold on to their uniqueness of not being a part of a chain. I wonder what they sell. I see a sign saying “Lotto” and I try to peer through the thick bus window. I think I see a counter running through the length of the stores and I remember….

Yes, it reminds me of “Maulbi Saab ki Dukan”* just opposite to my school bus stop, my one stop shop for all my stationery needs for most of my school years. I remember Maulbi Saab in his checked blue-green lungi , white fez cap and almost luminescent white beard standing behind a counter that ran across the center of his shop. The counter kept the customers far removed from the merchandise and in turn gave Maulbi Saab an all encompassing power. I had to wait patiently for my turn for the Maulbi Saab or his grandson to be free and then I would ask for the Royal Blue Chelpark ink that I needed. I could not sample the Sulekha Violet ink if I wanted to or rummage through the crisp notebooks on display far from me.

The limitations of these choices mad me satisfied with what I needed alone and taught me not to go looking for stuff beyond my needs.

A lesson long forgotten when I hoard unknown boxes of spices and trifles, I don’t intend to use, just because I have an easy access to them.

It's not that I don’t love the choices a departmental store gives me, I do love the independence. But when I madly rummage through the aisles of Wal-Mart looking for a particular Dora kiddie water bottle, a part of me still yearns for the green shuttered Maulbi Saab’s Dukan and the polite Maulbi Saab in his blue-green checked lungi and white fez and I wish I could just go up and say “Ek Dora Purple & Pink Water Bottle dijiyega”** and come back home happy.

* a store run by the Maulbi** Give me a Dora Pink & Purple water bottle

But lets go back to the Dal I made today. Kalai er Dal is a dal made of split white (skin removed) Urad Dal, very typically Bengali and also a favorite in many Bengali homes.

Kalai er Dal withAlu Postoor Alu Seddho (mashed potatoes with a dash of mustard oil) is the best thing that can happen to you during a lulled summer afternoon lunch. Flavored with Ada-Mouri bata (a paste of ginger and fennel seeds) this sweet smelling dal can take two different avtaars. If you do not roast the urad dal and cook this Dal, it tends to get a bit slimy. Many people do not like the slippery texture though I loved it.

If you dry roast the dal before you cook it though, the slimy texture is gone and you get the flavorful dal without the slippery feeling.
This dal is best enjoyed with white rice. In a Bengali home it is served with alu posto or alu seddho and is typically served during a quiet lunch for the family. Usually not part of a menu for a larger audience it is for a quiet meal with the close family.

Alu Posto - is a dish made with potato and a paste of poppy seeds. Recipe is here. It can be found in both Bengali & Oriya cuisineAlu Seddho - is a Bengali style mashed potato to which finely chopped onion, green chillies and a dash of mustard oil is addedRead more...

Mouri or Fennel Seeds ~ 5 heaped tsp
Ginger ~ 2" piece
Grind the above with a little water to make a pasteAda-Mouribata ( a wet paste of Ginger and Fennel Seeds) ~ 5-6 tsp heaped of the prepared paste. Bee's comment made me write this. The paste I make may yield a bit more than 6 tsp of paste. I usually make this paste and refrigerate it for later use, so follow the measure given for the paste while cooking.
Water ~ 3 & ½ cups for boiling the Dal in pressure cooker and 1 cup later

Salt
Oil

How I Do It

Dry roast the Urad Dal till you get a fine roasted smell and about 50% of the lentils turn a light brown. Wash the roasted Dal. If you do not want to roast it, you can skip this step.Pressure Cook the Urad Dal with almost 3 times the water and about 1/2 a tsp of Turmeric powder. When it’s cooked lightly mix it with a wire whisk Do not mash it up. It may take 6-7 minutes to get done after the pressure build up.Wet grind the Fennel seeds and the Ginger to a fine pasteHeat Oil in Kadhai. I used Mustard Oil, but you can use Canola or any other White Oil tooAdd the slit Green Chillies and the AsafetidaAdd the wet paste of fennel and ginger which we Bengalis refer to as ada-mouri bataFry the paste for a little while, and when you get the sweet smell of the masala
add the dal.Add about 1 cup of water, salt and let it cookThis is not a very thick dal so check the consistency accordingly.Enjoy it with White Rice, Alu Posto and some Bhaja (Fried Veggie friters). Alu Posto recipe is here.

For the recipe of this Dal and more Get my book hitting the stores soon.

Trivia: Urad Dal is very nutritious and is recommended for diabetics, as are other pulses. Though very beneficial in limited quantities excessive intake causes flatulence, which some sources claim can be prevented by adding a little asafoetida, pepper and ginger in the cultinary preparations.
The product sold as "black lentil" is usually the whole urad bean or urad dal. The product sold as "white lentil" is the same lentil with the black skin removed.(Source: Wiki)

I thought it's Oriya cuisine post! Looks good and I saw Aloo Posto as Oriyan too but made with Poppy seeds ot Til? Urad dal dal (:D) looks great,I will try.LOL @sleeping with mouth open AND snoring on the bus!!Whoa!! I would like a photo of that!!;D

I love that plate of food...I also loved reading all that chit-chat in Bengali...more so because I can understand each and every word of it:D...couldn't resist...monta Kolkata chole gayechilo...have I said it right:)...haven't been in touch for quite some time...was quite fluent in Bengali during our stay there :)

Kalai Dal looks yummy. I have never tried it before. Do you have the Aloo Seddho recipe anywhere? Just want to make sure if it is the same mashed potato with raw mustard oil and chopped onion that my MIL/SIL make to have with Pakhala (cooked rice soaked in water overnite). Mouth-licking pics, dear! Thanks for sharing.

Nice intro Sandeepa... I can imagine you sitting in the bus with your mouth open... coz that is exactly how I am in flights... (haven't been in a bus in a while, otherwise that would be the same too... :))... And the worst thing is my head keeps falling off my neck to my neighbor's shoulder... now thats embarassing... :)

I loved reading the post, but I am exactly the opposite though... I love getting lost in a big store, looking for something, and finding more stuff along the way...If you could ask for the purple Dora water bottle, you would've never found that blue Diego lucnh box..(or something else cute like that, you get the idea ;)) :)

Oh, and the daal looks lovely too.. I think someone should collect all the regional varieties of daal preparations and make a round up... ultimate comfort food...

Nice write up. I like one stop shops where I can walk up to the counter and ask, instead of searching high and low for the elusive thing I need. Worse, I sometimes end up buying things I don't need and don't find the thing I came in for!!

My MIL makes a similar dal which she calles White Dal. The nice thing is it cooks fast.

I left an almost similar comment at Sh just now..... and the same for you as well...You have this vivid style of writing which puts the reader on that very scene... I could see you as a kid waiting patiently for your turn to come at the maulabi sahabs dukaan. :) I wish I could read more of you!! (Now thats a hint!! ;) )

Bee5 tsp of fennel may yield a little more of the paste, but its fine. You can go experimental and add more than 6 tsp of the paste too, doesn't harm I guess with a cook who can cook. With the noveau cooks I would suggest to stick to 6 heaped tsp of the paste

MahuaPostor Bara mone koriye dile, shiggiri banate hobe mone hoy :)

ShnYour prawn vada's are out of this world. I will have them just by themselves, maybe with a cup of hot tea if you please:)

SraIf you want to use fennel also try a chicken curry at Sailaja's which uses a lot of fennel. It is very good and the sweetness of the fennel makes it awesome.

Ashaupdated the post after seeing your comment. About the pic..ahem..I am not going on a bus with you ever :)

PadmaUsually I don't use a lot of fennel in my cooking too. Some of the recipes call for them. But for me this Dal has to be had with the proper side dishes, just by itself does not do justice

SunitaEkdom thik hoyeche, tumi Bangla ektu o bholoni :) Got it ?

SharmiAgain what I told Padma, you have to have it with Alu Posto :)

ShivapriyaFor Bengalis, Alu Posto is the ultimate food. I am yet to meet a Bengali who does not like Alu posto.

RoopaI think outside Bengal and maybe Orissa, this Dal is not consumed much as a Dal that is

ShantanuI like the slippery feel too but the hubby doesn't, he is a "dhabba" on a Bong name, Bangali'r Kalonko jake bole :)But I prefer alu posto to jhinge posto

PragyanI think I am talking of the same mashed potatoes your MIL/SIL makes, not much of a recipe there

RupaI like alu posto way better than jhinge posto :) Actually I used to get mad when Ma made jhinge posto

Sig

Thats the point. I DO NOT want a Diego lunch box. Why buy unnecessary stuff, which I always do anyway :) I DO LOVE these stores though, and I DO NOT like to go up and ask for a certain salwar kameez and be told that its not my size ;-) (has happened you know), for that I definitely prefer one where I can browse.

But for certain everyday stuff, I would rather go to a one stop shop instead of spending an hour searching

JyothsnaSee I was justifying myself to Sig in amy prev comment, thats my point

CoffeeOooooooooh thanks so much :) You are always so generous with your complements.

IndoI am unable to read in a bus or a car. In fact even if I need to look up the map in a car I get flustered. Some problem up there :)

Sandeepa, I was looking for this dal for sometime now. One of my colleague s told me that he makes dal with urad dal, I asked him for recipe and he said it is made like normal dal. I didn't know what that meant. Instead of asking him again and again, I kept on looking for this. Usually we use urad dal for dosas, idlis only, so I was very skeptic in trying a actual dal with it. I will surely try this soon...

Sandeepa, I've outgrown all the big-time NYC department stores, many of which are owned by the same conglomerate & have the same merchandise. Boring. (But I know what you mean about independence.) I like the small, fun little places that sell everything and anything without any law and order.

I'd like thatcolorful plate of savories put directly in front of me right now. : )

i have said this before and i'll say it again: i love the little bit of introspection/reminiscence before you talk about the recipe. it makes your blog appeal to people who aren't necessarily here for the recipes!!!

and those old-style shops certainly have a unique character, don't they.

I totally understand what you mean about the small shops. I do like the choice in large dept stores but my head sometimes reels with the volume I have to go through to find what exactly I want, and most of the time I return exhausted from the shopping. On the other hand, shopping in small shops in India (for clothes especially)..the whole experience of sitting coolly while the shop owner bring out exactly what you want (don't know how they do it), while sipping the tea/coffee/soda that the shopkeeper provides sometimes always makes me feel elated and relaxed...maybe I am old-fashioned.

About the Dal: somehow aamar ei daal ta temon bhalo lagto na...janina keno. But I have never made it myself, so will do so with your recipe.

Kalai'er dal and alu posto the ultimate comfort food, the bhaja is like icing on the cake! Looks delicious. The first time I made kalai dal in grad school my non-bong roomie was so horrofied that anyone eats urad dal as dal and not in dosa/idlis :-) Your post for many different reasons brought back many different memories.

I agree with Sig. I love my independence of choice and so the Walmarts are like a stressbuster for me.

Just thought I might add, gota shedhdho does not have karela... My folks are from East Bengal, so never had it before marriage. My MIL makes it the best I have tasted so far... and I have been doing the same recipe for past 10 yrs... When you cover next Saraswati Pujo, will post this one. It is for the "Sheetal Shoshthi", dayafter Saraswati Pujo.This day, women of the house are supposed to get a break from cooking etc. and hence are supposed to have everything cold, cooked the earlier day and a cold but tasty mixed pot called "gota shedhdho".

ShilpaI answered at your blog, the Dal he must be talking about is the N.Indian kind I think because not many people outside Bengal know about this dal

SusanNY sure has a lot of such places

MallikaThanks :)

AnamikaAwwwwwwwwwww you are just being too sweet

MysticMy Hubby too does not like this dal if slimy, I however like it but only with sides I mentioned :) Tomar katha shune sari'r dokan er katha mone parche and they used to even serve cold drinks during summer

PilgrimBah...heavvy fast

SJYou made Kalai Dal even in grad school. You are genius. Actually I don't make this that often and so the surprise :)

CynthiaOne more Dal for you :)

Bong Working Mom

Please send your "gota seddho" recipe with pic if possible when you make it. Shall be a very good contribution to the blogI have never made gota seddho !!! My Dida used to as I said. You must be avery good cook to still maintain all the traditions.

Eve's LungsThank you :)

RaagaI like Dal Makhani but never had the Hyd version

MallugirlYou make this dal, really ? How ? I meant I haven't heard any non-bong making it ever.

hi sandeepa..i know it could have gotten worse with the last name!!! lol!!!

and i did try alur dom ...it was nice .....my husband loved it..i like mine without sugar while he likes it with sugar so we have decided to take turns on how we cook it :)

i shall try kalai dal and alu psoto next..i have a packet of poppy seeds lying in my pantry for long. Haven't tried it yet....now is the time i guess!!! :)

and i love alu seddho..how can something be so simply made and yet so tasty....

u get the foodie in me talking, so i had to tell u this , this being summer vacays time , i'm experimenting a tad more in kitchen than i do otherwise, and i tried hummus the other day ..it was neat and so simple...have u tried making it at home, ever???

Oh, and we had a coupla friends over for dinner last night ...they loved daal tempered with panch phoron :)

Beautiful write up Sandeepa :)...I remember as a kid I used to hate Kalai-er Dal and decline to eat it whenever Ma made it along with Alu Posto...but tomar post pore hotat eto khete ichchey korchhey...especially Ma-er haate banano Dal :)...the local shop we had was called Prabir Kaku-r Dokaan and it still exists and my daughter loves to visit the store whenever we r in India...

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About Me

Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine